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On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 5:23 PM, Pinkham, Jim <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com> wrote:
> <snip>It doesn't mean that the correct way isn't still all 10 steps. It
> means I know what the steps are and I can say "OK, Boss, I'll skip 3, 6,
> and 7, but remember, you hired me for what I know and I know that step 9
> cannot be missed...let's find some other place we can trim some
> resources." </snip>
>
> ***********************
>
> I have a hard time envisioning a certification process that would be a
> very good predictor of such an astute response.
I guess, thanks :-)
However, that answer has nothing to do with
certification...cerification isn't supposed to test if you have a
pair. It's how any professional writer handles situations at work on a
regular basis.
OTOH, all the certification process wants to know is "Do you know the
right way", and it will if part of each "multi-choice" set of
questions comes with where you write the Why of your choice of
answers.
> If I were to consider hiring you, and in the process make the
> determination that the answer to that question was no, then I don't care
> what certificate you have.
First, the hiring person, unless they are a certified writer themself,
isn't going to know the questions or how you answered them, I trust
the certifying body, not that you answered the question the same as I
would...besides, I don't know the answers...that's why I'm hiring you.
Second, nobody hires someone with the intention that they aren't going
to want it done the right way. If I hire you, I want to know all that
you know all the cool-kid methodologies...I heard of Info Mapping...I
don't know what it is and for all I know, it's an option on
Mapquest...I don't care, but I want to know that YOU know something
about it because I heard it at a business meeting once and it sounded
cool...not everything about it, but more than "Huh?
Doing it different than the right way comes through dealine pressure,
resource shortages, and because of any number of other factors. How
the writer handles it will come out at the interview...just like it
normally does now.
I hope nobody thinks that intent of certification is going to be to
get you the job if you are an idiot...that's not what I see it for.
I see it for:
- Giving me a roadmap of what I should know to be a good, all-around,
well-rounded professional technical writer.
- Give hiring people the comfort that when they hire a writer, they
aren't just going to be good writers on what I'm hiring them to be
doing now, but as the scope of the job evolves and that if "THE
EMERGENCY" thing happens or the CEO wakes up one morning and says
"CMS's FOR EVERYONE", the writer isn't going to fold like a house of
cards. I'm hiring the certified writer not for what I know, but for
what I DON'T know....I want depth and understanding, not knowledge by
rote or by techwr-l.
Think maybe some drilling companies might be sleeping just a tiny
little bit better if they know that their documentation was prepared
by someone who knows what they are doing?
--
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
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